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Johnson High awards 40 IB diplomas and certificates

Jenel Few photo Members of the Johnson High International Baccalaureate class of 2013 thanked their high school IB instructors following a diploma and certificate awards ceremony Thursday at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

Johnson High School awarded International Baccalaureate diplomas and certificates to 40 students during a special ceremony Thursday.

The Johnson High International Baccalaureate Class of 2013 completed a rigorous academic course load, including writing multiple papers, demonstrating fluency in a foreign language, conducting science experiments, completing 150 community service hours, and composing a 4,000-word research paper. Each wrote more than 25,000 words for tests, papers and projects that were assessed by a team of International Baccalaureate examiners. Twenty of them earned the prestigious IB diploma and 73 percent of the IB test takers earned scores high enough for them to earn college course credit.

“They put in a whole lot of work and it is very beneficial,” said IB program coordinator Jason Buelterman.

At the end of their senior year, these students received a total of $1.2 million in scholarship awards, not including the HOPE Scholarship. Together they completed 2,500 hours of volunteer work, averaged a 1580 on the SAT, and passed all sections of the Georgia High School Graduation Test. All but one has gone on to enroll in college and he is participating in a Naval nuclear engineering program before he begins his college studies.

Matthew Mataxas earned an IB diploma and went on to study broadcast journalism at the University of Georgia, where he is an honors student. Mataxas received 24 college credits for the IB courses he completed in high school and said the experience taught him to manage his study time wisely.

Treyvon Parks, a biology major at Armstrong Atlantic State University, received 25 credits for his IB courses.

“I started out with 25 hours which is almost enough to be recognized as a sophomore,” Parks said. “That puts me at an advantage.”

The IB Program is an educational program open to children age 3 to 19. Students can enroll in elementary, middle and high school IB programs throughout the Savannah-Chatham public school system. Johnson High has been an IB accredited school since 2000.

Because IB exam test results are not available until a month after regular high school graduations in June, Johnson High officials organized the Thursday event to award IB diplomas and certificates to the members of their IB class of 2013, who are home on winter break.

“These students worked extremely hard to complete a challenging, internationally recognized course of study that will allow them not only to be competitive in a global marketplace, but to thrive as lifelong learners ready to take on life’s many challenges,” said Johnson High Principal Bernadette Ball-Oliver.